Clockwork
by Cyberfire22
Summary: Follow a Klink's journey to greatness! Sort of...  Written because not many people really seem to like Klink. Proud to be the first Klink fic on the site!
1. The Beginning

**A/N:** _Well, here is my very first fanfic ever… I hope it can live up to people's expectations. I decided to write this story based on Klink because not many people seem to really like it. I don't know if this will become a fully-fledged story or not, but I'm just gonna try this out and see how people like it. Thank you for taking the time to read this story!_

_Note, the pokemon in this story still speak "pokemon talk" and are not understood by humans, I just translated all of the speech for ease of writing._

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Pokemon or any of the settings/characters that are related to it.

-000-

It was a relatively normal day in Chargestone Cave. Well, as normal as it got for me that is. My name is Farran, and I am a Klink.

For those of you that don't know, I resemble nothing more than a couple of floating gears with grey faces, with only one functional eye each. Both of my faces have a green round nose in the center, and mouths frozen in a permanent "O" shape. Yes, I have two heads with one mind. Got a problem with that?

Sometimes, I really hated being a Klink. The lack of facial expression really got to me sometimes; my faces make it look more or less like I am in a constant state of surprise. The best I could usually do to express myself is to spin in different directions and at different rates. Good luck trying to understand that.

To make things worse, my viewing perspective is all messed up. It helped that the two units that made up my mind were linked together, but when your heads were constantly turning around and around with only one working eye each, it can sometimes be really hard to see straight. Imagine your own head constantly turning around in a circle; it would be extremely difficult to walk straight wouldn't it? Multiply that by two, and you would get a vague sense of what it is like for me every day.

Yeah life kinda sucked, at least from my perspective. Hah, I guess my Minus ability really reflected my personality didn't it? Things like those really aggravated me. Also… I guess I just wanted more out of life.

I mean, it was nice and all living in a cave full of electricity that us Klink could feed on, but it was so boring! Yeah, it was rather pretty with a multitude of glowing chargestones floating everywhere, but there really wasn't much I could do to pass the day. The other Klink looked perfectly content to spend their days floating around and feeding on the ambient static, but I wanted more than that for crying out loud! I wanted to get stronger, to battle, to show other Klink what they were missing!

Unfortunately, I was also pretty weak, even weaker than most of my fellow Klink. I was significantly lower-leveled than the majority of the pokemon in the area, and that is the main reason I haven't left yet. I guess I was kinda afraid that I woudn't make it if I left the cave. I've tried training myself, but progress has been excruciatingly slow… especially since there was a lack of opponents my level to safely challenge.

I was getting pretty desperate. I tried finding a trainer to take me in, from the ones that occasionally passed through the cave. But most just brushed me by, ignored me… or beat the crap out of me. That was never fun. It looked like they were looking for a pokemon less ugly, or that could learn better moves. I was pretty crushed after trying so many times.

So here I am, floating around and thinking depressing thoughts. At least, until my daily tormenter arrived.

"_Hiiissssssss!_"

I was suddenly tackled from behind by a small yellow blur. It was that darn Joltik again. Joltik like to drain electricity from other beings, but this one for some reason really seemed fond of attacking me. I mean, of course Klink could produce electricity like an electric pokemon, but we were just pure Steel types. She could probably just drain a Chargestone or something for sustanance; but she insisted on leeching off of me. I still don't know why. She never said a word either, just this really weird hissing noise before she latched onto one of my heads, knocked me to the ground, and then started to gnaw on me.

"Arachne, get off."

She just hissed back in reply.

From what I've gathered from the other Joltik and Galvantula that live here, her name was Arachne. She was an anomaly within her own kind as well; she had never said a real word since the day she was born… besides her characteristic hissing noises that is.

Sad to say, this little Joltik was my only real "friend" in this place, because other Klink tended to avoid me. Have you ever tried talking to a Boldore or a Ferroseed? They are really poor conversationalists.

With a sigh, I levitated myself up and began spinning again, shaking her off. I forgot to mention this part earlier; we Klink needed to constantly spin to produce enough energy to live. Bah, life stinks.

Now full, Arachne is just staring at me. She was actually rather docile when she got her daily fill of electricity.

"What do you want from me?"

She was silent in reply.

With some disgruntled muttering, I floated off, with her trailing not to far behind.

"Will you please stop stalking me for once?" I admit, I really wasn't in a good mood today.

She continued to give that slightly creepy silent stare. With a resigned sigh, I continue on my way.

"Geez… I really need to get out of here…"

-000-

Many days passed by before anything interesting happened. A new trainer was traveling through the area. He was tall and well-built. He looked really strong, and had a distinct air of confidence… this could be the type of trainer I've been looking for! He definitely looked like he knew how to raise pokemon well! I eagerly floated up to him to try to convince him to take me in. He smirked at me in a smug, overconfident way.

"Heh, look at this little runt that thinks he can stand in my way!"

Wait… what?

"Alright, if you wanna fight me so badly, see if you can take this on for size!"

He chucked-out a pokeball, and with a brilliant flash of white, a hulking Emboar of all things was staring down at me!

Crap… I really hated my life.

And with that, the Emboar flaunted its double type advantage at me by shooting a searing Flamethrower attack in my direction, and then coming in for an Arm Thrust. I narrowly dodged the first assault, only to be caught by the monstrosity's giant hand. As I'm pinned to the rocky wall of the cave, I desperately tried a Gear Grind attack. I began spinning rapidly in his hand, cutting up some of the flesh there.

"Augh!"

It let go, now bleeding slightly from its palm. It then gave me the most frightening glare I had ever seen in my short existence.

"Emboar, teach this pokemon a lesson! Heat Crash now!" the trainer orders.

My good eyes widened a bit in utter horror.

The giant pig backed up, and jumped nearly to the height of the cave's ceiling. It then ignited in a burst of searing flames; a ball of dark red fire surrounded its body with a corona of blazing yellow energy. It was rapidly decending towards my prone body.

Yup. I really, REALLY hated my life.

I hardly felt the impact… I passed out long before then.

-000-

It was a long, long time before I found the strength to wake up. I was lying in a decent-sized crater. Something was recharging my battered body… I was surprised neither of my faces got melted nor dented by the devastating blow. As I got up, I noticed Arachne of all pokemon recharging me! She was using her Electroweb attack, and the charged strings of silk were gradually giving me some electrical energy. It wasn't much…but it was enough to activate me again.

"Ugh…"

I slowly wobbled back into the air and began spinning once more to generate my own electricity, breaking off the silk that had built-up on my body. I looked down at Arachne again. Why did she do that for me? She never had done anything like this before.

As usual, she just stared at me with that blank, slightly creepy stare. I guess I'm not gonna get an answer out of her anytime soon.

"Thanks" I quietly muttered.

"_Ssssssss"_

She definitely had a way with words.

**A/N:** _And that is the first chapter! Tell me what you think, and what I should improve on for next time! I hope to become a better writer for all of this!_


	2. Vanilla Surprise

**A/N:** _Hey, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed! I'm glad my first attempt wasn't that bad. I went back and edited my previous chapter a little. I just a few minor errors or bad word choice, I didn't change any of the content. Well, here is the next part of the story, enjoy!_

_Note, the pokemon in this story still speak "pokemon talk" and are not understood by humans, I just translated all of the speech for ease of writing._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon, just the OC's in this story, who happen to be pokemon.

-000-

You know what? I've had it with this place. I didn't care if I was weak or not, that previous battle was the last straw! I floated towards the southern exit of Chargestone Cave. I just wished that my faces could properly show the burning resolve I had within me at the moment. I passed by other Klink, and they all stared rather incredulously and wide-eyed at my actions. Then again, that could just be their default expressions. Like I said, I really hated the inflexibility of our faces. The price of being made almost completely out of solid metal I suppose.

I finally came across the exit… I must admit I had never gotten this close to the outside world before. The strong daylight that streamed through was really quite lovely… it looked so inviting. I hesitated briefly, wondering if what I was doing was actually wise. I was several levels below the pokemon in this cave, and I was probably gonna meet stronger pokemon out there as well. However, I then realized that I wouldn't get anywhere if I didn't at least make an attempt to do something about my weakness. I wasn't gonna let my fear of stronger pokemon hold me back anymore. I was gonna make myself strong, and prove to everyone that I could be a competent battler! I took my first (figurative) step into the outside world.

-000-

It… It was so beautiful… I had never seen the sky until this point, and I'm now wondering how I had ever gone without it for so long. It was such a brilliant shade of blue, with little white puffy things floating by on it; I guess those were what they called "clouds". The sun was absolutely dazzling to behold; I couldn't stare at it directly, but it was much brighter than the chargestones of the cave, that's for sure! The grass outside was a rich and verdant green color, and I could see some young pokemon playing about under the sunlight with an occasional Tranquill passing overhead. For the first time in a long time, I felt… happy.

Too bad moments like these never seemed to last. I was immediately tackled by something from behind, knocking me into the dirt. Sputtering and spitting-out the dust I had inhaled, I looked at my attacker. No… it couldn't be…

But it was. It was that Joltik once again.

"What is it now?" I exclaimed.

She just stared, and then reared-back before latching onto the face on my right side. Now half-blind, I "stumbled" around a bit before falling to the ground once again. She gnawed on me perfectly content, without a care in the world. It looked like she wouldn't give-up her daily supply of electricity that easily.

I groaned, and then shook her off. It seems that I had found an unwanted travelling partner. Life really wanted to make me as miserable as possible. As soon as I completed that thought, I was immediately tackled by something from behind again, and once more ate dirt.

"#$^&$!" It was really not my day. Then again, when has it ever been?

I turned to face my new assailant. It looked like nothing I had ever seen before. Then again, I didn't get out of my cave much, so I guess I had an excuse. It was a white ball with big blue eyes, had a goofy smile on its face topped with a "swirl" on its head, and had a small crystalline base with two tiny nubs for arms.

"Oh finally! Someone who I can talk to!" He exclaimed in a squeaky, irritating voice. "What kind of pokemon are you? Where did you come from? Who's your friend over there? Why do you have two heads? Why are you hanging around here? What's your favorite color? Nice weather we're having isn't it? Will you be my friend?" I could barely keep up with his rapid-fire questions.

"Uhhhh…"

"Oh goodness, how rude of me to not introduce myself! My name is Slushy, and I'm a Vanillite!" Well, that answered what kind of species he was.

"Wait a minute… Vanillite? Aren't you guys supposed to only appear around here in the wintertime? From the looks of it, it's spring right now or something."

At my observation, his smile drooped a little.

"Oh, yeah… I got left behind when my group moved on. I overslept before the big move, and by the time I awoke, they had all left due to the warm weather coming in that day. I've been stuck here, because I forgot where my group was migrating for the spring and summer."

"Wait, how could you forget something like that?" I interjected.

He gave me a sheepish grin and said "I am reaaaaaaly bad at remembering things." Great, now he had short term memory loss too.

"It's too hot around here; I've been wandering around for about a week seeking someplace cooler." He explained sadly. But then he immediately brightened up.

"I saw this cave not too far off, and I headed there, thinking I could take shelter there from the sun a bit. But then I saw you and your friend playing on the ground in front of the entrance, and then I said to myself, 'Hey, that looks like fun!', so I joined in whatever you were doing; isn't that great?"

I was still not sure what to think about this guy, he talked too much, spoke too fast, and got off track too easily. Still, I guessed I should at least introduce myself for politeness's sake.

"My name is Farran, and I am what they call a Klink." Arachne hissed at me. "Oh, and that over there is Arachne, a Joltik. Don't bother trying to talk to her, she never says anything." Arachne hissed at me again.

Slushy quickly floated right over and stopped a couple inches away from our faces. He exclaimed, "Nice to meet you Farran and Arachne!" Arachne spat an Electroweb onto his face in response.

"Augh, nooooooooo! My brain, my beautiful braiiiiiin!" Slushy floated around in a panicked frenzy trying to get the electrically charged silk out of his eyes, arm nubs flailing wildly the whole time. Arachne gave off a strange hiss that sounded suspiciously like laughter. With a sigh, I floated over and helped him cut off the silk.

"I guess we'll be leaving now… I gotta go out there and get stronger and all that..." I made this excuse, hoping that he wouldn't bother me any more. But once again, life decided to go against my wishes.

"Wait! I wanna come with you! Maybe I can find my group if I tag along! I'm too vulnerable out here on my own! I need protectionnnnn!" he shouted while clinging to Arachne. She proceeded to spit another Electroweb in his face.

"Nooooooo! I'm blind! I'm bliiiiiiind!" Once again, he was floating around in a panicked frenzy. Why do I get stuck with the nutjobs?

After ripping off the silk _again_… we started wandering together down the path, which was lined with trees. Apparently this road was called "Route 6" by the humans; I saw a sign saying so not too far back. I was closely followed from behind by Arachne and Slushy… with Slushy attempting to ride Arachne like a horse despite the significant size difference. (Joltik average about 4 inches in height, and Vanillite are a bit over a foot tall, do the math). He was currently excitedly jumping up and down on Arachne's back.

"Onward! Hi Ho Silver!" Arachne gave him a Bug Bite. "Ouchies!"

With a resigned feeling, I continued to lead my small band of misfits. I had a silent, leech-like Joltik, and an over-excitable and forgetful motor-mouth Vanillite as companions. What will happen next? I don't wanna find out.

**A/N:** _I hope you enjoyed, see you next time! Remember to review, I value your feedback!_


	3. Ice Cream Headache Pt 1

**A/N:** _Haha! Thank you to everyone who read and or reviewed! It really makes me happy to see that my fic is off to such a good start. This was originally one chapter, but I decided to split it up so that it is a bit easier to read. Besides, I think I kept you guys waiting long enough already anyway. The next part will be up eventually; enjoy!_

_Note, the pokemon in this story still speak "pokemon talk" and are not understood by humans, I just translated all of the speech for ease of writing._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon, just the OC's in this story, who happen to be pokemon.

-000-

We continued down the path of Route 6 at a leisurely pace. Currently, we were resting in the shade of a tree, taking a midday rest. Well, me and Arachne anyway. Slushy was currently floating upside-down in the nearby stream. No, we hadn't murdered him if that was what you were thinking. He was just taking a long, long drink… albeit while bobbing up and down on the waves with his head completely under. Apparently, in order to survive in the warmer climate of spring, he needed to consume huge amounts of water in order to maintain his form. He finally surfaced with a deep gasp.

"Ahhhh… refreshing!" He said in a chipper tone. "I love taking long drinks like that! It is always so entertaining to see the world topsy-turvey through the water… although I always come close to passing-out because I forget I have to breathe…" This guy is just unbelievable… I'm starting to wonder how he had survived at all until this point.

"Come on in, the water is great!" He exclaimed, splashing around a bit.

"No thank you." I'd rather finish my short nap.

"No really, I _insist_!" He floated over and grabbed me from behind, and flung me into the river. I came back up sputtering and coughing up water.

"What the heck was that for!" I yelled.

"Fun, fun!" He said in reply, now holding a bewildered Arachne in his nubs. "Cannonbaaaaaaall!" He does realize that Arachne is an electric pokemon right?

As he made impact with the water, there was a brilliant flash of yellow static, and then the surface of the water was still. Shortly afterward, Arachne climbed out of the water, her fur now all damp and clingy, and proceeded to violently hiss at the spot where the little Vanillite had touched-down. He floated up not too long after, unconscious and with swirls for eyes.

-000-

We finally made it to the closest human settlement, now a bit soggy and bedraggled. I glared silently at Slushy… I had better not start rusting because of him. Apparently, this place was called Driftveil City. It was a nice place, really rather scenic with the ocean surrounding the area, but unfortunately we were attracting lots of stares. I guess it wasn't every day when a trio of miscellaneous pokemon wandered through town. Arachne and Slushy both seemed a bit nervous, and were sticking closer to me than usual.

"I don't like the look these people are giving us…" Slushy mumbled, for once not hyperactive. Indeed, some of the trainers in the crowd were reaching for their pokeballs. Usually, I wouldn't have minded being captured… but I had set-out on this journey to prove to everyone that I could get stronger by myself and through me alone. I didn't want to lose sight of that goal this early in my journey! Besides… not that I would ever admit it out loud… I kinda felt a little protective of my party. Yes, even Slushy. But only a little.

"Hey Slushy, got any ideas to get them to back off?" A couple of the trainers were starting to get uncomfortably close.

"Oh, oh! I've got one!" Slushy shouted, surprising everyone nearby. He zoomed off through the crowd. What was he up to? He quickly came back with a black marker, a stick and a sheet of discarded paper. He scribbled something onto the piece of paper, stuck the stick through the top, and waved it around like a miniature banner.

Scrawled onto the piece of paper were the extremely poorly written words: "Pleez Do nut Ketch". If I had hands, I would have facepalmed at that moment. With both of my faces.

Well, at least the little banner served its purpose. People were starting to avoid us a bit now… but maybe it was less the flag and more the fact that Slushy was again riding on Arachne's back, while singing at the top of his little lungs the Unovan National Anthem while swinging the banner like a madman. Man this was embarrassing… If I could blush, I would be cherry red right now.

"_Huff, huff…_" It looked like Slushy was getting a bit winded.

"Man, this job isn't easy!" Slushy said. "Here Arachne, you hold this for a bit." She bit him with Bug Bite again.

Wincing, he said to me: "Here, Farran, I think you should take this one"

"How am I supposed to hold it? I don't even have hands!" I didn't want to be the flag bearer for that ridiculous thing anyway.

"Hmmmm…" Slushy was in deep thought. I didn't even know he had the meager brainpower to achieve that. Hah. I guess he was slightly less stupid than he looked.

"I know!" He said, before jamming the stick of the flag right in between my two gears. "That should do it!"

I couldn't rotate anymore! Without rotation… I would…..lose…..power…..

Everything went black.

When I eventually came to, I found out that Arachne had single-handedly removed the stick, recharged me, and then shocked Slushy once again, into oblivion. I had to remember to thank her sometime for that.

We continued to explore the human settlement a bit. It was really quite big; we could see many points of interest. Although we still attracted stares, I was actually beginning to enjoy myself a little. There was a lighthouse in the distance, a marketplace not too far away, and one of those "Gyms" that I had heard so much about from trainers' pokemon while I was in Chargestone cave… There certainly was a lot to look at. I decided to check-up on my party members. Arachne was following behind closely, and Slushy was… Wait a minute…

Slushy had disappeared all of a sudden. Where had he gone? He was there a second ago…

"Hey guys, look what I found!" I heard a voice in the distance. As I turned around, I saw Slushy dragging what looked like a crate full of jars.

"What is all of that?"

"It's MooMoo Milk! My favorite drink!" Slushy explained.

"MooMoo Milk? Never heard of the stuff."

"It's good!" Slushy said as he downed an entire jar full of the white liquid in one gulp. I took a look at the crate. It could hold about 12 jars… Wait… half of the jars were already empty! I looked at Slushy incredulously. Did he really drink half of the entire crate by himself? Where did he put it all?

Slushy was currently halfway through the 7th jar. He didn't look so well… His eyes were unfocussed and he was wobbling in the air a bit.

"_Thisshh shtufff izzz reaaaalllly goooood... _" he sang.

Uh oh, he really seemed out of it. "Hey Slushy… You okay?

All of a sudden, he froze-up in midair. He slowly turned to face me. He glared at me in a slightly cock-eyed way and said in a surprisingly demonic voice:

"_drink it_"

"I'd… I'd rather not…" I was actually a bit terrified at the look he was giving me.

"_drink it!"_

"No!"

"_I SAID DRINK IT NOW!" _In a drunken frenzy, screaming like a banshee the entire way, he floated up to me and smashed the opening of the half-empty jar onto my rightside face.

"Grauarhargh!" I admit, the liquid really was quite tasty, but I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I wasn't half drowning in the stuff! Slushy then "staggered" away chanting "_One of us! One of us! One of us!_"

That's it; he had officially gone off the deep end. I went over to try to talk some sense into him.

"Slushy, snap out of it!

"_Never! The power I feel, it is exhilarating! AHAHAHHAHHAHAAAHAHA!"_ Now he was laughing maniacally like a moron.

All of a sudden, he was covered in electrical silk from top to bottom. "MFMfmffMFMF!" He was being shocked into submission... yet again. How many times was this now?

I looked at Arachne, who was giving me a sort of smug look, giving off that strange laugh-like hiss again. Slushy then passed out, falling to the ground with a thud. He appeared to be sound asleep. Well, at least that bit of craziness was over…

"Thief, THIEF!" I then saw an EXTREMELY pissed looking human lady coming towards us. "You stole all that milk from my shop!" I looked at the snoozing Slushy incredulously. He actually stole that stuff? Great, in addition to being a complete doofus, he was a kleptomaniac.

"You shall all pay!" the human exclaimed. She took out from behind her back… Oh Arceus, was that a _SLEDGEHAMMER_ of all things? This lady had some anger issues!

"Run!" I shouted to Arachne, who was dragging Slushy by the silk tangled around him. We ran away as fast as we could, screaming (and hissing) our heads off… with Slushy blissfully unaware of the trouble he had caused.

**A/N:** _And that is the first half of the Driftveil chapters. Check in next time for the continuation, and thanks for sticking with the story! I'll try to have the next chapter done soon._


	4. Ice Cream Headache Pt 2

_Gosh, it's been a while hasn't it? Whew! This took a lot of effort, but I managed to finish it. Here's part 2 of the Driftveil chapters, and it is extra, EXTRA long! Like over 5x as long as my previous chapter! If you missed the first part, you should go back and read it first. Thanks for reading so far!_

_Note, the pokemon in this story still speak "pokemon talk" and are not understood by humans, I just translated all of the speech for ease of writing._

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon, just the OC's in this story, who happen to be pokemon.

-000-

We finally escaped that crazy lady by fleeing to the south end of the city, and hiding in between two structures. We were in the middle of some sort of storage facility, and the air was really kinda chilly. There were human workers everywhere, wearing thick blue jackets and pants with yellow hats. They were walking around, carrying various boxes and such into large buildings, the sources of the cold air. I saw a sign, indicating that the area was called the "Cold Storage". How apt.

I wasn't particularly bothered by the cold, but Arachne definitely looked uncomfortable. Although she wasn't weak to ice, she was rather small and thus couldn't retain body heat very easily. I kinda felt a little sorry for her…

On the other hand, Slushy looked absolutely delighted, now recovered from when we had shaken him awake, knocked him out again after I had shouted how stupid he was, and then woken up again.

"Oh, this air is just so wonderful! It's so pleasantly cool here!" He was a bit more perked-up than before, after he had recovered from his "hangover" from over-dosage of dairy product. "This is so much better than the hot weather we had been having!" He paused for a second, a confused look coming across his face. "This place seems a bit familiar for some reason…"

"Hey, what are you three doing here? This is a restricted area!" A gruff voice called out to us. We turned to see a slightly ticked-off pokemon. His skin was a dark beige-ish color, with pink vein-like bulges on it, a couple odd protuberances sprouting from his back, a black bulbous nose, and a point coming from his forehead. He was also carrying a hefty beam of wood… and dressed-up much like the human workers were, with a blue jacket and pants and a yellow hat.

"This place isn't safe for civilians, you shouldn't be here!" he said before coming over to us. He then noticed Slushy hiding behind me and Arachne. "A Vanillite? Shouldn't you be with your colony in the southeastern section?" Wait, there was a colony of Vanillite here? Perhaps they were Slushy's family? Was this an opportunity to finally get the annoying Vanillite off of my back?

"You mean that there is a bunch of Vanillite in the area?"

"Yeah, they hang around here in the spring and summer, when it gets too hot. Some even stick around all year." The mysterious pokemon explained. "Hmmm… if you guys don't know that, you probably aren't from around here. Where are you from? The name's Aleron, and I'm a Timburr." Timburr huh? Interesting. I sure had to learn more about the species of pokemon in Unova, that's for sure.

"My name's Farran, and I am a Klink." I introduced. "This is Arachne the Joltik, and we are both from Chargestone Cave. This is Slushy the lost Vanillite, and we have been searching for his group." I turned to Slushy. "Does this place ring any bells?"

"Uhhhh…." Slushy screwed up his face in concentration. "I think so… This place definitely does feel familiar… But for some reason, I can't remember…"

"Hmmm, I see." Aleron said. "Follow me; I'll take you to the colony." He turned around and led us away.

Curious, I decided to ask him a question.

"So, Aleron… why the outfit?" He turned his head to face me and raised an eyebrow. "Have you noticed how cold it is out here? You should see what it is like when you are actually inside the Cold Storage itself! This outfit is necessary for all employees and volunteers. Even though I'm technically a wild pokemon, I enjoy helping the people here. Plenty of other Timburr in the area also work in the facility." He explained. "When your species has a constant urge to work, being helpful is one of the best ways to use it."

Made sense I guess.

All of a sudden, we came across a wide grassy area.

"Here is where a lot of Vanillite hang around. You should ask a couple if your friend here is a familiar face or not." He started to leave. "Well, I have to get back to work; good luck on your search!" He then rounded the corner and disappeared behind a building. Pity, I actually liked the guy. He was the first person I had seen in a while that actually seemed relatively normal.

The three of us wandered around a bit, and we eventually came across another Vanillite. As we went up to talk to him though, he saw us. He took one look at Slushy, immediately made a horrified face, and fled. How odd…

This repeated for the next few times that we saw a Vanillite. Something was definitely going on here… Meanwhile, Slushy looked a bit miserable.

"Farran, why doesn't anyone want to talk to us?" Slushy asked, giving me a watery look with his big blue eyes. I actually felt bad for the little guy, despite the trouble he had made us go through.

"I really don't know…" And I planned to find out.

At the next Vanillite we came across, I exclaimed: "Arachne, Electroweb now!" She immediately tangled up the Vanillite and brought it to the ground. Huh, I guess I could be a good trainer if I actually tried… Nah, that's silly talk.

"Noooo! Let me go, I don't want any part of this!" The Vanillite shouted in a particularly squeaky and high-pitched voice. Apparently, this Vanillite was a girl. She was squirming on the ground, trying to break free. Time for interrogation.

"We'll let you go, if you answer our questions." I said to her face. She stared at me with a frightened expression.

"Wha…what do you want from me?"

"We want to know why all of the Vanillite here are avoiding us!" I snarled, showing my frustration.

"B-b-because of him…" She pointed at Slushy. Slushy then gave me the most heartbroken expression I had ever seen. He then floated away a little bit, and sat down with his back turned towards us, his head down. I strongly suspected that he was trying not to cry.

"Why are you avoiding Slushy here?" I demanded.

She squeaked in fright, and replied nervously: "We are forbidden to allow that one to come back to our group, and anyone who is with him is bound to get severely punished!" So Slushy DID come from this group…

"Who is the one that declared this?"

"That would be me."

We swiftly turned around to see the biggest Vanillite I had ever seen! Well… I haven't exactly seen many Vanillite before, but this one was certainly a lot more massive than the rest!

"I have been notified by some of my subjects that the exiled one had returned." He glanced over at Slushy, who was now shivering in fright, staring wide-eyed at the giant Vanillite. The Giant gave a somewhat malicious smirk. "Heh, I guess we couldn't get rid of you just by you away… you must be exterminated as well."

Wait… WHAT?

"Who are you to exterminate a fellow pokemon like that!" Even though I didn't exactly like Slushy all too much, the Giant's casual tone and dismissiveness (in addition to me actually pitying Slushy a bit) really got me riled up.

The giant turned to look at me, and glared. "I am Frosticus, absolute leader and strongest of all of the Vanillite here!"

This guy sure seemed full of himself… Unfortunately, he also looked like he had the power to back it up.

"Who are you to challenge my authority? Seeing as how you are with the exiled one there, you shall all be taken prisoner until the exiled one's execution." Frosticus haughtily explained. "I'll decide what to do with you two then." At his command, several tough-looking Vanillite surrounded us.

They formed an impenetrable ring around our small group, and herded us away. They took us past the numerous storage rooms, and led us to an isolated place just beyond the huge facility.

We soon came upon what appeared to be an extremely large cage of sorts, completely made of ice. Several Vanillite guards were patrolling the perimeter of the structure, and occasionally breathing an Icy Wind or two to maintain the structure's form. We were led through a small hole in the side, and then the entrance was sealed with a flurry of snow from the guards. Me, Arachne, and Slushy looked around uncertainly. There was a fair amount of other Vanillite in here too, all with various injuries and looking fairly miserable. There was also another strange pokemon in here…

It was brown in color, had a very large head, and deep green conjoined eyes. Its hands were tipped with strange red, green, and yellow lumps. It was currently sitting in the corner, leaning back and remaining motionless, but it gave us a glance showing that it was still aware of what was happening around it. The other, somewhat disheveled Vanillite in the chamber finally noticed us as well.

"Oh thank heavens! You are alright after all!" One of them exclaimed, looking at Slushy. The other Vanillite gathered around the thoroughly baffled Slushy, expressing concern about his wellbeing. Why were they so concerned about him? Did he used to be someone significant in this colony?

"Prince Isaz Winterflake, you are okay after all this time! I was so worried!" Another Vanillite said.

Wait…Slushy was a prince? ! What the heck?

Unfortunately, Slushy seemed just as confused as me and Arachne were. (Alright, maybe just me, I had no idea what went on in that insect's mind…)

"Prince?... I'm not a prince…and my name is Slushy…" He said in a troubled and uncertain voice.

At this, the other Vanillites' faces fell. "He really doesn't remember anything…" I heard one of them murmur.

"All thanks to _him_." The Vanillite that looked like the leader of the group said, pointedly glaring at that strange brown pokemon in the corner. This Vanillite was slightly larger than the rest, and somehow had what appeared to be an impressive moustache made of ice. He certainly looked like the oldest and most experienced out of the lot, that's for sure.

The strange pokemon met that glare with one of its own. It raised a hand and flashed the colored lights on it. "_You know I didn't have a choice in the matter._" It replied in a subdued and quiet tone. I still didn't know what kind of pokemon it was, but I felt an odd power emanating from it. It then turned to face me, and flashed the little lights at me as well.

"_To answer your question, little mechanical life form, my name is Zixix, and I am what you terrestrial species know as a 'Beheeyem'."_

Wha? I didn't even ask a question! He must have been reading my mind… meaning that he was some sort of psychic type.

"_That is correct_" He replied. Ugh, I don't think I liked my mind being constantly read.

"_I am sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but my species prefers to maintain an open mental connection to more easily communicate._" He apologized.

"Uhhh… sure…" I still felt a bit uncomfortable, but he looked like the only one at the moment that could explain the current situation.

"Can you tell us what happened here? And why does everybody think Slushy here is a prince and everything? I'm really quite confused."

"_I believe that they can describe the situation better than I can._" Zixix said, gesturing towards the small group of Vanillite surrounding Slushy."_I am merely a foreigner to this colony._"

The mustached Vanillite from before gave another angry glare at the Beheeyem. He then sighed in a resigned tone and began to talk.

-000-

"My name is Hailston, and I was once the chief advisor and best friend of the king. The rest of us here were the king's royal council. The one that you call 'Slushy' was once a bright little Vanillite named Isaz Winterflake, the prince of our little colony and the next heir to the throne! His father was the leader of our colony, a wise and brilliant Vanillish. He ruled fairly, and almost all of us loved him. That is… except Frosticus and his band of followers. Frosticus was once the greatest defender of our clan, and would help protect us during our big migration across Unova during the spring. Unfortunately, he decided that because he was one of the most powerful of us, he had the divine right to be our leader as well."

Another Vanillite picked-up from where Hailston left off. "Fortunately, King Winterflake was still stronger than Frosticus, and when Frosticus decided to revolt, our king was able to soundly punish him. However, our King was too forgiving and still thought that Frosticus could be redeemed. So he let Frosticus go, albeit while keeping a closer eye on him. Frosticus knew he couldn't defeat the King on his own, so he enlisted some help… in the form of that _disdainful_ pokemon over there." He motioned towards Zixix.

With an annoyed look and sigh of his own, Zixix decided to tell his part of the tale.

"_I was gravely injured in a battle with a wild pokemon, and I eventually collapsed nearby this colony, while they were settling-in on Route 6 for the new winter season. Frosticus was the one to come across me, when he was patrolling the parameter. He took me to a secret location and nursed me back to health. Being ever grateful, I offered to give him one favor of anything within my power. …That was a big mistake_." At this, Zixix gave a guilt-ridden and weary look at us.

"_He knew that my kind was famed for their ability to rewrite memories. He wanted me to completely erase the memories of the King, his wife, and the little prince, and then Teleport them far away, making sure they couldn't return. This way he could usurp the throne for himself with little resistance._" He explained sadly. He then gave an especially angry glare at the ground. _"Even worse, he wanted me to completely rewrite the Prince's personality, so that he would be too stupid and incapable of ruling if he ever did come back_."

I was utterly horrified at this news; and from the looks of it, both Slushy (er… Prince Winterflake) and even Arachne were stunned speechless.

Zixix continued: "_Unlike many of you terrestrial pokemon, My kind has a strict rule to be bound to their word. So, although I was extremely against it, I had no choice but to follow his wishes. I teleported both the King and Queen far, far away… but I did bend the rules a little. I left a few traces of the Prince's memories, so that he would know when he returned home. I also simply hid the Prince in the bushes on Route 6 rather than teleporting him to a distant land. I had hoped that he would one day find his way back, but he seems to have come back sooner than I expected._" At this he glanced gratefully at me and Arachne. "_Thanks to you and your little friend over there, he has come back relatively safe and sound, and I am grateful for that._"

At this, Slushy (I mean Prince Winterflake) interjected. "Wait, this can't be true! I…I don't want to lead a colony! I don't have a clue how to do all that!" He looked horribly confused and conflicted. "I-I…I just don't know what to do…."

Hailston looked sadly at the lost and confused prince. "I remember that you were once quite eager to become ruler yourself one day. My, have you changed…" He sighed once more. "As your father's closest friend, it is painful for me to see you like this." He glanced at the ground. "Now it seems all hope is lost, and Frosticus will rule us with an iron fist forever."

I was about to point out that Vanillite didn't have fists, but I quickly decided that now wasn't the time for a sarcastic joke.

Something had to be done about this situation, and it had to be done now! Frosticus couldn't be allowed to get away with this! In addition, some small part of me genuinely felt bad for what happened to Slushy…

"All right, listen up here!" I suddenly said, grabbing everybody's attention. "I really don't like this Frosticus guy, and I don't think most of the other Vanillite living here do either!" The other Vanillite nodded at this, confirming my suspicions. "We can fight back if we all work together!" Yeah, lame and cliché moral speech, I know. Still, I had nothing better at the moment. At this, Hailston gave me a skeptical look.

"And how do you suppose we escape from here in the first place? Our Ice-based powers aren't very effective on other Ice types you know." He said. "Besides, those troops of Frosticus aren't exactly pushovers either. They are probably the strongest pokemon in the area."

I interjected at this point. "Ah, but you didn't have me until now! If you didn't know, I'm a steel type, and thus simultaneously resistant and super effective on ice types!" I didn't let them know I was also kind of underleveled. I had to keep morale up and all that.

At this, the other Vanillites' faces brightened a bit. "Indeed… your help could be most beneficial to us…" Hailston muttered. "But how will we escape? The guards are constantly patrolling the area."

If I could have smirked, I would have. "Leave that to my good friend Arachne here…" I took a glance at her, and she seemed to have gotten the message. You know, she really seemed quite intelligent… I still wonder why she didn't talk at all.

Arachne approached the bars of the cage, and waited until a Vanillite guard passed close by. She spat an Electroweb into his face.

"Arrrgh! I can't see!" He flailed around in midair for a bit. Looks like everyone around here reacted like that, not just the Prince here.

The commotion attracted the other guards. "Dude, calm down!" One of them said to the blinded guard. "Auuuugh!" The blinded guard yelled, eventually crashing into the one that spoke, and sticking them together with the silk. "Aaaaaaaaaah!" Both of them screamed, flailing like morons.

While Arachne continued to confuse the panicked guards with her expertly-aimed silk, I faced one of the weaker-looking bars of the cage. All right, this was my moment. I just hope I could pull this off… I started spinning rapidly, building up power. Faster and faster I span, each gear becoming little more than a silver blur. Finally having enough force, I flung my body at the ice.

"SCREEEEEEEECCCH!" With a horrible grinding noise, my spinning body started chipping away at the bar with Gear Grind, ice fragments flying everywhere. Like some sort of strange miniature chainsaw, I cut through the bar, and it shattered into tiny pieces. After getting through, I wobbled in midair a bit. Ughhhh… I didn't want to go through that again…. But I knew that I would probably have to in the near future.

I peeked one of my heads through the gap, and looked outside. There was a giant ball of tangled-up guards sitting nearby, covered in silk and all of them groaning in pain and confusion. I could hear Arachne behind me, yet again giving that laugh-like hiss. I guess she's enjoying this much more than she should have. I made way for the other Vanillite in the cage. They all streamed out, rejoicing in their freedom. However, I noticed that Zixix wasn't moving from his spot.

"Hey, aren't you gonna come along? I'm sure we could use your help."

Zixix merely glanced at me and shook his head sadly.

"_I cannot do anything to go against Frosticus' will as long as he is in power, nor can I leave this cage unless he wishes for me to. That was the last part of his request. You will have to do this on your own_." He replied. "_I wish you luck in the struggle ahead. Go on, I'll watch these guards for you._"

With one look back, I followed the ragtag group. I knew that it was time to confront the tyrannical ice cream cone himself.

-000-

Night had fallen by now, and everything took on a shadowy, mysterious look. Some floodlights had activated, lighting some areas of the facility, but throwing harsh shadows everywhere else. It was a tiny bit eerie, with practically all of the workers having gone home by now. However, I had to focus on the task at hand. We had to confront Frosticus and topple him from his ill-gotten throne. The small group of previously imprisoned Vanillite led us to a door. It was made of metal, quite rusted looking, and there was frigid air leaking out. It looked like a rather disused facility; it obviously hadn't been visited in quite a long time… a perfect hideout for a group of Vanillite, where they wouldn't be discovered.

We opened the door, and it let out a long drawn-out creaking noise. Our group entered, and gazed upon our surroundings. Even though disused, this storage room was still considerably huge. Ice coated the floors and vaulted ceiling, and a layer of frost clung to every surface. There were stacks of boxes everywhere, and sitting on top of the largest stack and glaring at us maliciously was Frosticus himself.

"Hmmm… I see my guards were no match for you." The giant floated to the ground and hovered menacingly. "I was going to perform the execution of the Prince tomorrow, but it looks like I will have to take things into my own hands." He was slowly approaching us, with that hate-filled glare focused upon Prince Winterflake himself. The prince was trembling in fear and backing-up slowly. However, someone stepped in front of Frosticus and halted his advance. It was Arachne! She was protectively standing in front of Prince Winterflake, and giving off sparks. Why was she being so protective of someone she doesn't like? I don't think I'll ever understand her.

However, I quickly added my support as well, and me and Arachne stood against the Giant. He merely quirked an eyebrow (I didn't know Vanillite had those!) and said: "Three against one? That is hardly fair is it?" He then gave us a frightening grin. "Let's even the odds a bit shall we?"

Out of the shadows came more of his loyal followers. They approached us menacingly, forcing us back. We were forced out of the storage room and out into the open, under a spotlight. They proceeded to surround us. "Take care of the other two… the Prince is mine!" Frosticus commanded.

Then, utter chaos began.

-000-

There were Ice Beams flying everywhere. Me and Arachne were quickly separated from the Prince, and had to deal with our assailants. We were facing about ten in all… things definitely did not look good for us. In addition, we couldn't see our Vanillite allies anywhere either. I guess they must have run away when the fight started...

I turned my attention back to the situation at hand. Me and Arachne were back to back, facing down about five enemy Vanillite each. Arachne quickly let out a Thunderwave, paralyzing one of them, then scuttled aside quickly to avoid the various Ice attacks aimed at her. Like some sort of demented crab, she scurried up to the one she had paralyzed, latched onto his head, and with a screeching hiss proceeded to chew his face off.

"AUUUUUGH! Get it off! GET IT OFF!"

It looked like she had things covered on her side.

I returned my attention to my own small group of Vanillite. They were circling me, anticipating my next move. I began to spin more and more rapidly, building enough kinetic energy for a Gear Grind attack. At this, the Vanillite breathed a simultaneous Icy Wind attack, barraging me from all sides. It was rather quite cold, but thankfully my steel body helped me weather the attack. I finally unleashed all of that force I had built up, and flung my two faces into a Gear Grind attack. My two heads were flung apart from the excessive kinetic energy, and went buzzing around the battlefield like miniature buzzsaws.

I couldn't exactly see where I was going, but from the cries of pain and the feeling of impact, I could tell that I was at least doing decent damage. The electromagnetic forces binding my body together eventually overcame the decaying inertia, and pulled my halves together. Once I got my mind re-synced to my two halves, I took a look around. Several of the Vanillite that had been surrounding me were now on the ground with various chips and cracks on their crystalline bodies. However, they swiftly recovered, shaking off the minor damage I had given them. They floated back into the air and started attacking back with a vengeance.

Darn it! Even though my attack was super effective, it still wasn't enough to take these guys out. I really needed to get stronger soon…

The Vanillite all teamed-up together, and again hit me with a united attack, this time a combined Ice Beam… and it really hurt! I was being pushed back slowly; despite my resistance to Ice, I didn't have much stamina.

Just then, I noticed something was wrong. My gears were slowly grinding to a halt! With widened eyes, I took a glance where my two gears met. There was a layer of ice that was gradually building-up on my body, preventing me from spinning freely!

Eventually, the ice spread over my entire body, encasing me in a crystalline tomb. I didn't have much reserve power left… everything was slowly going dark. Struggling, I took a glance towards my teammates through the ice. Arachne was valiantly trying to keep Frosticus' guards away by releasing bursts of static, but it was quite obvious that she was tiring rather quickly. The Prince on the other hand was being confronted by Frosticus alone.

"Look at your allies now, they are about to fall in battle." Frosticus drawled. He slowly circled the trembling Prince, who was looking in horror at both me and Arachne. He was in a state of shock, and couldn't move. Arachne at this time was now completely exhausted and struggling to stand. A Vanillite with a particularly horribly scarred face pinned her down, and froze her feet to the ground. "That's for what you did to me!" He growled.

"What kind of friend are you? You didn't help them at all." Frosticus whispered to the heartbroken Prince. "Now they are both about to die because you were so negligent." At this, the Prince took on a look of utter despair, and slowly sank to the ground, too shocked at the revelation to do anything.

Frosticus gave him a nasty grin. "Ah, I'm really going to enjoy executing you… now stay still, it will all be over in a moment." He then proceeded to charge what looked like a particularly nasty looking Mirror Shot attack. The iridescent sphere of light was getting bigger by the second.

No! There is no way that the Prince would survive that attack! I renewed my efforts to get free, but I simply didn't have the energy left. Is this the end? I didn't get anywhere on my journey to get stronger. I really was a truly pathetic pokemon. I was simply too weak to do anyone any good. I let everyone down simply because I wasn't strong enough… I began to slip into unconciousness…

_**WHAM!**_ A sudden noise suddenly jolted me back to reality. Frosticus was on the ground, currently grimacing in pain. The Prince was looking in amazement at something outside my viewing range. Cries of pain rang out everywhere, signifying that something was attacking the enemy Vanillite… but what? A shadow loomed up on me from behind. _**CRACK!**_ With a mighty blow, and the sound of splintering crystal, I was set free! I wobbled back into the air and turned to look at my rescuer.

He smirked at me. "Looks like you got yourself in a bit of a tight spot didn't ya?"

Of all the people to come to our rescue, it was Aleron, working clothes and all. Behind him were our Vanillite allies, looking rather pleased with themselves. "I was about to leave for the day, when these guys behind me showed up and asked for some help!" He explained. One of the Vanillite behind him waved at me with a cheery smile. "They told me about the situation, and I hurried over. I can't let three innocent pokemon just die like that!"

With that statement he faced the enemy Vanillite, hefted his beam of wood like a baseball bat, and glanced towards me. "So… are you ready for round two?" At that, he charged into the group of Vanillite, swinging his beam like an oversized club. As the enemy tried to regroup, he quickly knocked them all aside with a well-aimed Low Kick attack. As the enemy was scattered around, he picked-off the weaker ones with a few Brick Breaks across their heads. He was actually beating them back single-handedly! In a particularly stunning display of skill, he scooped up a couple Vanillite with his beam of wood, and with a mighty swing slammed them into the ground in what could arguably be called an improvised Wood Hammer attack. In retaliation, several of the Vanillite shot Ice Beams at him. Although they hit, the Timburr took the blow surprisingly well, only briefly grimacing in discomfort.

"Hah! This outfit of mine helps protect me from the cold!" He shouted at them. "It will take a lot more than your measly Ice attacks to take me down!" He then proceeded to continue pummeling the shocked Vanillite. He raised the beam of wood above his head and rapidly twirled it around to knock the closely bunched-together Vanillite away from him.

While everyone else was distracted, I quickly floated over to the still trapped Arachne, and with a quick Gear Grind managed to free her from her prison. With a grateful chirping noise, she scuttled over to me. Unfortunately, some of the enemy Vanillite finally noticed us, and were once again making a circle to subdue us. I wasn't about to go down that easily again; I decided to take a different tactic this time. Whispering my plan to Arachne, she gave a nod that she understood. Quickly, I began to rotate once more, but not in a Gear Grind attack this time. Sparks began to shoot off of my body as I generated more and more electricity. At this, the surrounding Vanillite began charging their simultaneous Ice Beam attack (seriously, can't these guys think of any other moves?), and began gathering energy as well.

Finally halting my Charge technique, I gave the signal to Arachne. "NOW!"

She gave off a Thunderwave attack, while I blasted a boosted Thundershock. With our combined electrical power, we managed to hit all of the nearby Vanillite, disrupting their attack and finally incapacitating the lot of them. Meanwhile, Aleron was finishing off the few that we hadn't hit.

With a final "_**Whack!**_" He KO'd the last Vanillite guard. We turned to see Frosticus, who had by now recovered from Aleron's blow and was glaring at us absolutely lividly.

"_You... I'll KILL YOU ALLLLL!_" He roared, charging at us while simultaneously preparing a particularly powerful Blizzard attack. It didn't look like we could dodge it in time… and we were already rather worn-out from our lengthy battle. Despite Aleron's outfit, I seriously doubt he can stand up to a massive ice storm like that! This could very well be the finishing blow…

However, at the last second, Frosticus was knocked off-course by a powerful blast of water. He impacted the metal wall of one of the storage containers, making a big dent in it. With eyes bugged-out in pain, he fell to the ground. He quickly recovered though, and looked for who had hit him. However, he was shocked to discover that it was the Prince himself, who for the first time actually looked positively infuriated. The Prince shot another Water Pulse attack, forcing Frosticus back into the dent that he had made, widening it.

"I've had it with you!" the Prince bellowed. "You took away my family, my memories, and even my identity! But I will NOT LET YOU TAKE AWAY MY FRIENDS!"

You know, I think he would have sounded a lot more dramatic if his voice wasn't so high-pitched and squeaky… but I was in truth quite touched that he valued us so highly…

The Prince then began to charge a brilliant white ball of energy. It grew bigger and bigger, as he packed more power into it. That looked like…Flash Cannon! How did he know such a powerful move? !

Gathering light from the surrounding area, the floodlights provided plenty as the Steel-typed ball of energy continued to grow…

Frosticus was meanwhile frozen in apparent shock at the whole scenario. Unfortunately, he seemed to get his bearings and was about to jump aside to dodge the attack. However, before he could, Arachne shot a Thunderwave in his direction, paralyzing him in place. I decided to help as well. Flying through the air, I grabbed onto his body with both of my gears, Binding him in place. He couldn't escape now, and thanks once again to my steel body, I should take minimal damage from the Flash Cannon.

With a yell, the Prince let loose the gigantic beam of brilliant light, and striking Frosticus head-on. With a painful explosion and lots of smoke, Frosticus was tossed to the side, his crystalline body fractured deeply. I "stumbled" out of the cloud of smoke, a bit singed but relatively okay. That was an extremely powerful attack… I think I respect the Prince a bit more now.

Working together with our allies, we gathered-up Frosticus and his followers and bound them with lots of silk, courtesy of Arachne. We managed to finish just as the sun was beginning to creep over the horizon. From the top of the pile, Frosticus glowered at us with his one good eye. Half of his face had been considerably damaged, melted from the heat of the blast. I doubted he would ever be able to use that eye again.

"So what are you going to do? Kill us?" He spat disdainfully.

Hailston approached Frosticus and gave him a stern look. "While it would certainly be convenient, we won't stoop to your level and attempt murder. Instead we have a more fitting punishment for you." He then motioned to someone waiting in the shadows. Slowly, that strange Beheeyem from the prison cell emerged. If he had a mouth, I think he would have smirked at Frosticus' horrified expression.

"_I'm not going to erase your memory. Although that scenario you have pictured in your mind would be satisfying, I am here to do something else._" Stated Zixix. "_The Vanillite here told me to send you far away in banishment, so that you may never return, just like you tried with the royal family_."

"_But you can't do anything without my permission! You are bound to my word!_" Said Frosticus quickly. "_You cannot do anything I don't wish!_"

In a slightly smug tone, Zixix replied: "_You forced me to agree that I would follow you as long as you were _in power. _Now that you have been thoroughly dethroned, I think that our forced agreement is no longer in effect, don't you_?"

At this, Frosticus regained his outraged attitude. "You can't do this to me! YOU OWE ME!"

"_Goodbye Frosticus_." Zixix replied

"RAGHAHAAGH!" With a final cry of rage, Frosticus and his band of supporters disappeared from view in a brilliant flash of light.

With a mental sigh, Zixix relaxed. "_Now, I shall finally be able to leave this place and go home…_" he muttered. He then turned to us.

"_However, before I go, I shall tell each of you a little something about the future as a gesture of my gratitude_." He said mysteriously.

Wait, our futures?

He turned to face me. "_Your journey will be a long one, but by the end of it, you shall achieve your goal. You will face many challenges, but if you can overcome them, there will be little to stand in your way. You will meet others on this journey; they will provide assistance when you most need it._" What was that about? Ah well, at least I am guaranteed to get strong! That's what I wanted most anyway; I was happy with this. What were a few minor challenges? I was sure they wouldn't matter much.

He faced the Prince next. "_Follow what your heart says. Your friends are the most important treasure to you, and will guide you to the right path. Do not forget that._" The Prince nodded in return, a determined expression appearing on his face.

He then turned to Aleron, who seemed slightly surprised. "_Your future is straightforward. Act as a guide in times of hardship, and as a place of strength when others need it._" The Timburr gave Zixix a slightly puzzled look, but then took on a look or realization and gave his own nod.

Finally, he turned to Arachne. "_From what I can see, your future is quite interesting…_" He gave a small chuckle. "_At the end of everything, you shall have what your heart desires most_." At this, Arachne's eyes widened a bit, looked away, and gave a rather nervous hiss. What does she desire most anyway? I don't think I'll get an answer out of her anytime soon.

With that final word, Zixix waved goodbye, and disappeared in his own flash of light. I hoped that he could get back to wherever his home was.

"Now that that is all out of the way, let's get you back for the ceremony young Prince!" Hailston said excitedly.

"Ceremony? What ceremony?" the Prince asked.

"Why your Crowning Ceremony of course!" Hailston exclaimed. "We need a leader at all times!" At this, one of the royal advisors came forward with a beautifully carved crown made of NeverMeltIce, and it sparkled with a shimmering iridescence in the early morning sunlight. "We had kept this treasure hidden from Frosticus, but now we can present it to its rightful owner!" He said. In a slightly saddened tone, he added: "It was once your father's".

The Prince looked uncertain for a moment, but then his face hardened in resolve. "No." He replied.

At this, Hailston and the other royal advisors were visibly quite startled. "B-but young Prince Winterflake! This is your royal duty!" Hailston stuttered, his prominent "facial hair" waving about in distress. "If this is about not knowing how to rule over your people, we can re-educate you!" He said desperately.

"It's not that." the Prince replied. He turned to face me and Arachne. "These are my friends, and I could never leave them now, especially after both standing-up for me, and putting-up with my altered personality for so long." I was quite shocked. He really valued us that much? …I guess we really were his greatest treasure.

"But we could invite them to stay here with us! You wouldn't have to leave them!" Hailston persisted.

"I do not think my friends would appreciate being bound to one place for too long." The Prince said. "Zixix told me to follow my heart, and that's what I'm doing now."

He then looked at Hailston in the eye. "As my last act as Prince, I name you as the new leader." He said. Hailston was speechless at this. Looking away, the Prince said softly: "You knew my father best, while I don't remember him at all. I think you would know how to rule the best out of everyone else in the colony."

Looking a bit defeated, Hailston said: "You do have a point…" but then he perked up a bit. "I will respect your wishes, for your father's sake. He would have wanted you to be happy."

The Prince smiled at Hailston, and nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

At this, Hailston put on the crown himself, and gave orders to his companions to spread the word to the other Vanillite. He sure looked the part now, with that magnificent crown and imposing moustache. The ex-prince turned to face me and Arachne, and motioned for us to be off. We began to leave the area.

"So Slush… err… Isaz?" It was hard to get used to his real name. The ex-prince just turned to face me and said in response: "Please, just call me Slushy from now on. It's who I am now. No use lingering in the past now is there?" He asked with a small smile.

"Ah, alright." Well, at least that matter was easily taken care of. "So… are you really okay leaving your people behind?"

He gave a brief nod in confirmation. "Yes… I would have been a horrible ruler anyway." He gave a small chuckle.

-000-

We were on the outskirts of the city, coming towards a large red bridge that laid to the east. This was apparently the route to the next city. We were currently resting a bit in the park nearby, getting ready for the long trek. Yes, we were still attracting stares, but at this point it really didn't bother me anymore. As we were getting ready to go though, we heard a voice calling from behind us:

"Hey, you three! Wait up!"

It was Aleron! Except now he wasn't wearing his outfit. It was wrapped around his beam of wood in a neat little bundle. He jogged up to us, panting a bit. "Good, I caught up to you guys just in time!" He said.

"Aleron? Don't you have a job or something at the Cold Storage?" I asked.

"I was only a volunteer remember?" He said in reply. Besides, from the looks of things, you guys really need someone you can depend on, and I'm the mon for the job!" He puffed out his chest a little in pride.

With a sly grin, he continued: "But I must say, all of your battle techniques were really quite appalling."

What.

"While you guys definitely have potential, you were all disorganized and lacking in skill; that was what ultimately almost lead to your downfall before I arrived."

I was about to raise my voice in indignant anger, but he interrupted.

"That's why I'm coming along with you guys. You all look like you need some intensive training. I may not look like much, but I am quite an experienced battler; you saw that last night." True, he had a point there. His display of power really was quite impressive…

"I think I'll be a great instructor, don't you think?" He said, smirking.

"Besides," he added, "even though I've only known you all for such a short amount of time… I admit that I have gotten a bit attached to you guys."

Huh. It looks like we found a fourth team member.

"Well then, welcome aboard I guess…" I said.

"Thanks, now let's get… Uh… where's that Vanillite that was traveling with you?" Aleron asked.

I looked around quickly. Slushy was nowhere to be found. Where did he go? !

"AHAHhahahaHAHAhaahAH!" I heard some familiar maniacal laughter in the distance.

As we slowly turned around, we saw a most bizarre sight.

It was Slushy… somehow driving a large transport truck. Once again, he had that deranged look on his face, and he was turning the steering wheel wildly, causing the truck to swerve dangerously. On the side of the truck, it read "Fresh MooMoo Milk".

Oh no…

"THIEF! I WILL CRUSH YOU FOR STEALING ALL OF MY STOCK!" Right behind the truck was that crazy lady with the sledgehammer.

"RUN! I yelled. We all sprinted away from the intoxicated ice cream cone driving a large road vehicle and from the lady that seriously needed therapy. Looks like Slushy's serious and more mature "Prince" personality was short-lived, and now his usual goofy self had returned.

Annoyed (and terrified) as I was… part of me wouldn't have it any other way.

…I'll still pummel Slushy silly once we get out of this mess though.

**A/N:** _And that is the end! I hope you enjoyed. This was quite a lot of work, and I hope that my first real battle scene turned-out okay. Since Flash Cannon's attack description says that the user gathers light energy, I ran with that and made it a pseudo Solarbeam-ish attack. I tried a few new techniques in this chapter; I hope it turned out okay. The character Aleron belongs to "Aleron's Sword". Don't forget to review!_


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